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Summary

17th century deerpark and formal gardens associated with grand 16th century house

Monument Types

• DEER PARK (Post Medieval - 1501 AD to 1900 AD)
• FORMAL GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1501 AD to 1900 AD)
• VINEYARD (Post Medieval - 1501 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Events

• Trial trenching at Hadham Hall, Little Hadham, 1992 (Ref: N)
• Evaluation at Hadham Hall, Little Hadham, 1994

Protected Status

• Listed Building (NG) 395679: EAST FORECOURT WALL AT HADHAM HALL 20 METRES NORTH EAST OF HALL
• Listed Building (II) 395680: NORTH AND EAST BOUNDARY WALLS AT HADHAM HALL AND RUINS OF NORTH EAST PAVILION
• Listed Building (II) 395678: GARDEN WALLS ON SOUTH SIDE OF HADHAM HALL
• Listed Building (II) 395681: TERRACE WALLS,PIERS AND STEPS AT HADHAM HALL 70 METRES EAST OF HALL
• Listed Building (II) 395677: SOUTH FORECOURT WALL AT HADHAM HALL RUNS TO SOUTH EAST OF GATEHOUSE

Full description

A portrait in the National Portrait Gallery of Arthur Capel and his family, dated 1639, shows the view from a window at Hadham Hall [1981]. Outside were formal gardens, famous in the 17th century for one of the best plant collections of the time. Fountains are shown, and around the gardens stood vases of tulips. The gardens were created in the 1630s, one of many improvements made by Arthur Capel to the property when he inherited it in 1632. In 1635 a road near the house was diverted to enlarge the park. But in 1639 the Capel family moved their main seat to Cassiobury, the Civil War brought a downturn in fortune, and Hadham Hall began to decline. The park was dismantled by 1686, and much of the house was demolished.
A plan exists of parchmarks which appeared during a drought in 1911, but little now remains of the gardens apart from the terrace walls and steps, which were excavated and reconstructed by Walter Minet at the beginning of the 20th century <5, 6>; the ruin of one of the corner pavilions; and the Fish Pond [1980]. Some of the 17th century walls incorporate earlier brickwork; the forecourt walls are 16th and 18th century. The walled garden dates to c.1668, when the estate was broken up into farmsteads <1, 3>. Evaluation in 1992 and 1994 revealed portions of the rows of zigzag walls east of the Steward's House [12260]. These rows, filling a large rectangular walled area, were apparently a vineyard <5, 6, 7>.
For the possible icehouse, see [30906].
The old park boundary can be traced in hedges and tracks <2>; for its medieval origins and extent, see [9967]. There are also several other ponds, some of which may relate to the landscaping.

<1> Information from Kate Harwood, Hertfordshire Gardens Trust, MS note and sketch (Unpublished document). SHT5131.

<2> HCC Planning Dept, 1979-82, Historic parklands and gardens in Hertfordshire; record sheets & supplementary material (Unpublished document). SHT8294.

<3> Listed Buildings description (Digital archive). SHT6690.

<4> Rowe, Anne, 2009, Medieval parks of Hertfordshire, - p169-71 (Bibliographic reference). SHT6026.

<5> Minet, William, 1914, Hadham Hall and the manor of Baudes alias Hadham Parva in the county of Hertfordshire (Bibliographic reference). SHT9570.

<6> Cooper-Reade, Hester, 1992, Hadham Hall, Little Hadham, Hertfordshire: an initial archaeological evaluation, RNO 394, Fig.1 (Report). SHT9432.

<7> Anon, 1994, Hadham Hall (east), Little Hadham, residential units nos.8-15: an initial archaeological evaluation, RNO 395 (Report). SHT8944.

Sources and further reading

Related records

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